We planted our first banana plant within grabbing distance of the front verandah. At the time, I had a vision firmly in mind: me sauntering barefoot across the deck to pluck a golden, sun-ripened banana for breakfast.











As you can see, I'm still waiting for floorboards to saunter across (reclaimed ironbark would be nice), but the narnies are coming along very nicely. In fact, there's something of a banana glut here at Eumundi. Visitors have been cheerily carting off mammoth bunches of them, and the freezer's chock-a-block with tupperware containers.
(Tip: Bananas freeze extremely well, and, whizzed up with chunks of chilled pineapple and fresh mint, make a deliciously thick and creamy smoothie.)

Banana plants, however, can go rampant at an alarming rate, so I've had to do some serious thinning out. Must say though, for a bantam-weight gal like me, it makes for a rather satisfying afternoon - felling 6 metre "trees" in two minutes flat, with a handsaw.
Enough with the bananas; this post is really about these beautiful, elegant-in-an-industrial-kind-of-way bifold doors. Well, I'm allowed to brag about them. I didn't design them. Phil did (of course). Some details, for those interested:

•  Fabrication by Coz from Allstar Garage Doors and Gates, Noosaville (who also did our fabulous primary-coloured doors). 
• Welded aluminium construction, powder-coated in Precious Pearl. (Who thinks up these names?)
• Louvres and louvre galleries from Breezeway (also in Precious Pearl).
• Lower sections of doors to be fitted with glass louvres, but top sections with full glass panes. (There can be weight issues with glass in bifolds, and louvres are heavy. In any case, we decided the contrast would look better.)
• Meticulous fitting of louvre galleries, hinges, locks, handles, tracks and rollers by - who else? - Phil. Here's how he's going so far:

The north face of the house is essentially a wall of doors, opening up onto the deck, the view, the breezes, the birds, the bananas ...
There are three openings, each with two pairs of doors. That's sixteen. It's a lot of fiddly work - even for a very patient man.
He's cheered on by morning tea, arvie tea, and sunset beers with cheese and crackers.
One opening down, two to go. Go Phil!










Studio lock up - tick. House lock up by end of October. Christmas dinner in the house. Everything finished by Easter. You heard it here first.
I'd better go and make him some banana muffins ...